2017 AUDI A7 flat tire

Wheels
comparisons among tires. The by the tire manufacturer. This in-
UTQG is not a safety rating and formation is used to contact con-
not a guarantee that a tire will sumers if a tire defect requires a
last for a prescribed number of recall.
miles (kilometers) or perform in a
Vehicle capacity weight
certain way . It simply gives tire
means the rated cargo and lug-
buyers additional information to
gage load plus 150 lbs. (68 ki lo -
combine with other considera -
tions, such as price, brand loyalty grams) times the vehicle's desig-
na
ted seating capacity.
and dealer recommendations. Un-
der UTQG, tires are graded by the
Vehicle maximum load on the
tire manu facturers in three areas: tire
treadwear, traction, and tempera -
means that load on an individual
ture resistance. The UTQG infor- tire that is determined by dist rib-
mation on the tires, molded into
uting to each ax le its share of the
the sidewalls. maximum loaded vehicle weight
U.S. DOT Tire Identification an d div id in g by two.
Number (TIN)
Vehicle normal load on the tire
This is the tire's "seria l number" .
means that load on an individual
It beg ins with the letters "DO T"
tire that is determined by distrib-
and indicates that the tire meets uting to each axle its share of the
all federal s tandards. The next
curb weight, accessory weight,
two numbers o r letters indicate
and normal occupant weight (dis-
the plant where it was manufac- tributed in accordance with ¢
ta-
tu red, and the last four numbers ble on page 2 23) and divid ing by
represent the week and year of two.
manufactu re . For example,
Occupant loading and distri -
DOT ... 2216 ... bution for vehicle normal load
means that the tire was produced for various designated seating
in the 22nd week of 2016 . The capacities
a,
other numbers are marketing co- Refer to the tire
inflation pres -a, .... N r-.
sure label¢ page 221, fig. 193 N des that may or may not be used ... .... 0 a, OJ ..
217

a)
a)
.--< N ,-.. N ..... 0 a) 0.:,
"'
circumference as the regular
tires .
8,_ WARNING , -
-Only use tire/rim combina-
tions and suitable wheel bolts
that have been approved by
Audi. Otherwise, damage to
the vehicle and an accident
could result.
-For technical reasons, it is not possible to use tires from oth­
er vehicles -in some cases,
you cannot even use tires from
the same vehicle model.
-Make sure that the tires you select have enough clearance
to the vehicle. Replacement
tires should not be chosen simply based on the nominal
size, because tires with a dif­
ferent construction can differ greatly even if they are the
same size. If there is not
enough clearance, the tires or
the vehicle can be damaged
and this can reduce driving
safety and increase the risk of
an accident.
-Only use tires that are more
than six years old when abso­
lutely necessary and drive
carefully when doing so.
Wheels
-Do not use run-flat tires on
your vehicle. Using them when
not permitted can lead to ve­ hicle damage or accidents.
-If you install wheel covers on
the vehicle, make sure they al­
low enough air circulation to
cool the brake system. If they
do not, this could increase the
risk of an accident.
Tire wear/damage
Fig. 191 Tire profile: treadwear indica­
tor
Tire wear
Check the tires regularly for wear .
-Inflation pressure that is too low
or high can increase tire wear
considerably.
-Driving quickly through curves, rapid acceleration and heavy
braking increase tire wear .
-Have an authorized Audi dealer
or authorized Audi Service Facili­
ty check the wheel alignment if
there is unusual wear. ..
219

Wheels
Model/ Tire designation Tire pressure
Engine Normal load Maximum load
(up to 2/3* people)a>
front rear front rear
PSI kPA PSI kPA
PSI kPA PSI kPA
RS 7 275/35 ZR20 102Y
Sportback:
36 250 30 210 39 270
39 270
High Performance
4.0 L 275/30 ZR21 98Y
41 280 38 260 45 3 10 4 5 310
8-cylinder
High Performance
RS 7 275/30 ZR21 98Y
Sportback
perform- High Performance
ance:
46 320 44
300 51 350 51 350
4.0 L
8-cylinder
a) Vehicles with 4 seating positions: t wo people i n the front, Vehicles with 5 seating
positions:
two peop le in t he front , one pe rson in the re ar
A WARNING
Please note the important safe­
ty precautions regarding tire pressure ¢
page 221 and load
limits¢
page 224.
Tires and vehicle load limits
There are limits to the amount of
load or weight that any vehicle
and any tire can carry. A vehicle
that is overloaded will not handle
well and is more difficult to stop.
Overloading can not only lead to
loss of vehicle control, but can al­
so damage important parts of the
vehicle and can lead to sudden
224
tire failure, including a blowout
and sudden deflation that can
cause the vehicle to crash.
Your safety and that of your pas­
sengers also depends on making
sure that load limits are not ex­
ceeded. Vehicle load includes ev­
erybody and everything in and on
the vehicle. These load limits are
technically referred to as the vehi­
cle's
Gross Vehicle Weight Rat­
ing
("GVWR").
The "GVWR" includes the weight
of the basic vehicle, all factory in­
stalled accessories, a full tank of
fuel, oil, coolant and other fluids
111-

plus maximum load. The maxi­
mum load includes the number of
passengers that the vehicle is in­
tended to carry ("seating capaci­
ty") with an assumed weight of
150 lbs. (68 kg) for each passen­
ger at a designated seating posi­
tion and the total weight of any luggage in the vehicle . If you tow
a trailer, the weight of the trailer
hitch and the tongue weight of
the loaded trailer must be includ­
ed as part of the vehicle load .
The
Gross A xle Weight Rating
("GAWR") is the maximum load
that can be appl ied at each of the
vehicle's two axles.
The fact that there is an upper
limit to your vehicle's Gross Vehi ­
c le Weight Rating means that the
total weight of whatever is being
carried in the vehicle (including
the weight of a tra iler hitch and
the tongue weight of the loaded
trailer) is limited. The more pas­
sengers in the vehicle or passen­
gers who are heavier than the
standard weights assumed mean
that less weight can be carried as luggage.
; The Gross Vehicle We ight Rating
N
~ and the Gross Axle Weight Rating 0 co OJ ..
Wheels
are listed on the safety compli­
ance sticker label located on the
driver's side B -pillar
¢ page 221,
fig . 192.
_& WAR NING
Overloading a vehicle can cause
loss of vehicle control, a crash
or other accident, serious per­
sonal in jury, and even death.
-Carrying more weight than
your vehicle was designed to carry will prevent the vehicle
from handling properly and increase the risk of the loss of
vehicle control.
- The brakes on a vehicle that
has been overloaded may not
be able to stop the vehicle
within a safe distance.
-Tires on a vehicle that has
been overloaded can fail sud­
denly, including a blowout and
sudden deflation, causing loss
of control and a crash.
-Always make sure that the to­
tal load being transported -
including the weight of a trail­
er hitch and the tongue
weight of a loaded trailer - does not make the vehicle
heavier than the vehicle's
Gross Vehicle Weight Rating .
225

Wheels
Determining correct load
limit
Use the example below to calcu­
late the total weight of the pas­
sengers and luggage or other
things that you plan to transport so that you can make sure that
your vehicle will not be overload­ ed .
Steps for Determining Correct
Load Limit
1 . Locate the statement "THE
COMBINED WEIGHT OF OCCU­ PANTS AND CARGO SHOULD
NEVER EXCEED XXX KG OR XXX
LBS"on your vehicle 's placard
(tire inflation pre ssure label)
¢ page 221, fig. 192.
2. Determine the combined
weight of the driver and pas­
sengers that will be riding in
your vehicle.
3 . Subtra ct the combined weight
of the driver and passengers
from
"XXX" kilograms or " XXX"
pounds shown on the sticker
¢ page 221 , fig. 192 .
4. The re sulting figure equals the
available amount of cargo and luggage load capacity. For ex­
ample, if the
"XXX" amount
equals 1400 lbs. and there will
226
be five 150 lbs. passengers in
your vehicle, the amount of available cargo and luggage load capacity is 650 lb s.
(1400-750 (5 X 150) = 650
lb s.)
5. Determine the combined weight of luggage and cargo
being loaded on the vehicle.
That weight may not safely ex­
ceed the available cargo and luggage load capacity calculat ­
ed in Step 4 .
6. If your vehicle will be towing a trailer, load from your trailer
will be transferred to your ve­
hicle. Con sult this manual to
determine how this reduces
the available cargo and lug­ gage load capacity of your vehi­
cle .
~check the tire sidewall
(¢ page 211, fig. 190) to deter­
mine the designated load rating
for a specific tire.
· Wheel bolts and rims
Wheel bolts
W heel bolts mus t be clean and loose n/tighten
eas ily.
Rims
R ims with a bo lted r im ring * or with bo lted wheel
covers" co nsist of mult ip le p ieces . T h ese compo-
n ents were bolted togethe r usin g s pec ial bolts ..,.

Wheels
co ntrol, w hich inc reases t he risk of an
accident .
(D Note
-Snow cha ins can damage the rims/whee l
covers * if the chains come into d irect con ­
tact with them. Remove the whee l cove rs *
first. Use coated snow chains.
- Usin g sn ow chains that a dd more than 0 .4
i nch (10.5 mm) of he ight can severely dam­
age the wheel ho usings and other vehicle
components .
- Do not install and use snow chains if there is
a malfunct ion in the adaptive air suspen­
s io n*, because the vehicle height wi ll be
very low . If yo u drive with snow chains any ­
way, the wheel ho usings a nd othe r vehicle
co mp onen ts ca n be severe ly da mage d.
(D Tips
When using snow cha ins, it may b e usef ul to
sw itch on spo rt mo de
~ pag e 12 1.
Low aspect ratio tires
Your Aud i is f actory-equipped wi th low aspec t ra­
t io tires. The se tir es h ave bee n thor oughly te sted
and b een se lected s pecific ally fo r yo ur model fo r
their superb perfo rmance , road feel and hand ling
un der a va riety of driving conditions. As k yo ur au ­
thor ized Audi dealer for mo re details .
Th e low aspect ratio of these tires is indi cate d by
a nume ra l of
55 or less in t he tire's size desig na­
tion. The nume ra l r ep resents the rat io of t he
tire's sidewall he ight i n relat ion to its tread wi dth
expressed in pe rcentage. Conventional tires have
a heig ht/w idt h rat io o f 60 o r mo re.
The performance of low-aspect-ratio tires is par­
ticularly sensitive to improper inflation pres­
sure. It is therefore important that low aspect
ratio tires are inflated to the specified pressure
and that the inflation pressure is regularly
checked and maintained. Tire pressures should
be checked at least once a month and always
before a long trip~
page 221.
228
What you can do to avoid tire and rim
damage
Low aspect ratio tires can be damaged more eas i­
l y by impact with potho les, curbs, gullies or
r idges on the road, particularly if the tire is un ­
der inflated.
In orde r to mi nimize the occurrence of impact
damage to the tires o f yo ur vehicle, we recom ­
mend that you observe the following preca u­
tions:
- Always maintain recommended inflation pres ­
sures. Check yo ur tire pressure every 2,000
m iles (3,000 km) and add a ir if necessary.
- Dr ive carefully on roa ds w it h potholes, deep
gullies o r ridges. The impact from dr iv ing
throug h or over such obstacles can damage
your t ires. Impac t with a curb may a lso ca use
damage to yo ur tir es.
- After a ny impact, immed iate ly inspect you r
tires or have them inspected by the nearest au ­
t horize d Aud i dealer . Replace a damage d tire as
soo n as poss ible .
- Inspec t your tir es ev ery 2,000 m iles (3,000 km)
for d amage and wear . Damage is no t always
easy to see . Da mage ca n lead to loss o f air and
un derinfla tion, w hich could eve ntually ca use
t ire f ailure. If yo u be lieve th at a tir e m ay h ave
been dam age d, rep la ce the tire as soon as pos ­
sible .
- These tire s may wea r mo re quick ly th an ot hers.
- Ple ase also remember th at , while t hese tires
delive r respo nsive h andli ng, they may rid e less
c omforta bly an d make mo re noise than o ther
choices .
Reduced performance in winter/cold season
conditions
A ll t ires are des igned for certain purposes . T he
l ow aspect ratio, ultra h igh performance tires
o rigina lly installed on your veh icle are inten ded
fo r max imum d ry and wet road per formance and
h andling . They a re not suitable fo r co ld, snowy or
i cy weather conditions . If yo u drive under those
c ir cums tances, you should eq uip yo ur vehicle
wi th all-season o r winter tires, which offer be tter
t ra ct io n und er th ose condi tions. We suggest yo u ..,.

co co .... N
" N .... 0
00
\.J ' use the recommended snow or all-season tires
specified for your vehicle, or their equivalent.
Refer to
~ page 22 7 for more deta iled i nfo rma­
tion rega rding win ter tires.
Uniform t ire quality grading
- Tread wear
- T raction AA A B C
- T emperatu re ABC
Quality grades ca n be found where applicable on
the ti re side wall between tread shoulder and
maximum sect ion w idth
¢ page 211, fig. 190.
For example: Tread wear 200, Traction AA, Tem­
perature A.
All passenger car tires must conform to Federal
Safety Requirements in addition to these grades.
Tread wea r
The
tr ead w ear grade is a comparat ive rating
based on the wear rate of the t ire when tested
under controlled conditions on a specified gov­
ernment test course.
F or examp le, a t ire graded 150 would wear one
and one ha lf
( 1 1/2) times as well on the govern ­
ment course as a tire graded
100 .
The relative perfo rmance of tires depends u po n
the actua l conditions of their use, however, and
may depart significant ly from the norm due to
va riations i n driving habits, service practices and
d ifferences in road characteristics and climate.
Traction
The
traction grades, from highest to lowest, are
AA, A, Band
C. T hose grades represent the tire's
ab ility to stop on wet pavement as measured un­
de r contro lled conditions on specified gove rn­
ment test surfaces of asphalt and concrete . A tire
marked C may have poor traction performance
¢ _& .
Temperatur e
The
temperature grades are A (the highest), B ,
and C, representing the tire's resistanc e to the
generation of heat and its ability to diss ipate
Wh eel s
heat when tested under cont rolled conditions on
a specified indoor laboratory test wheel.
Sustained high temperat ure can cause the mate­
r ia l of the tire to degenerate and reduce t ire life ,
and excessive tempera ture can lead to s udden
tire failure ¢,& .
T he grade
C corresponds to a level of perfo rm­
ance which all passenger car tires must meet un­
der the Federal Motor Vehicle Sa fety Standa rd
No.
109. Grades Band A represent higher levels
of pe rformance on the laboratory test wheel than
the minim um req uired by law.
A WARNING
-
The tract ion grade assigned to this t ire is
based o n straight -ahead braking traction
tests, and does no t include acceleration, co r­
n ering, hyd roplaning or pea k traction cha rac­
t erist ic s .
A WARNING
The temperature grade fo r this tire is estab­
lished for a tire that is properly infl,;1ted and
not overloaded . Excessive speed, underinfl a­
tion, o r excessive loading, either separately or
i n comb inat ion, can cause heat bu ildup and
possib le tire fai lure .
A WARNING
-
-Temperature grades apply to tires that are
p roperly inf lated and not ove r or under inflat­
ed.
Tire pressure monitoring system
(l) General notes
Each tire, including the spare (if provided),
shou ld be checked monthly when cold and inflat­
ed to the inflat io n pressure recommended by the
vehicle manufacture r on the veh icle placard or
t ir e infla tion p ressure labe l. (If your ve hicle has
t ir es of a diffe re nt si ze t han t he si ze ind icated on
t h e ve hicl e p lacard or tire inflat io n pres sure la­
bel, you sho uld dete rm ine the proper tire in fla-
t ion press ure for those tires) . ..,.
229

Wheels
As an added safety feature, your vehicle has been
equipped with a tire pressure mon itor ing system
(TPMS) that illuminates a low tire pressure tell­
tale when one or more of your tires is significant­
ly under-inflated . Accordingly, when the low tire
pressure telltale illuminates, you should stop and
check your tires as soon as possible, and inflate
them to the proper pressure . Driving on a signifi­
cantly under-inflated tire causes the tire to over­
heat and can lead to tire failure. Under-inflation
also reduces fuel efficiency and ti re tread life,
and may affect the vehicle's handling and stop­
ping ability.
Please note that the TPMS is not a substitute for
proper tire maintenance, and it is the driver's re­
sponsibility to maintain correct tire pressure,
even if under- inflation has not reached the level
to trigger illumination of the TPMS low tire pres­
sure telltale.
Your vehicle has also been equipped with a TPMS
malfunction indicator to indicate when the sys­
tem is not operating properly. The TPMS mal­
function indicator is combined with the low tire
pressure telltale . When the system detects a
malfunction, the telltale will flash for approxi ­
mately one m inute and then remain cont inuously
illuminated . This sequence will continue upon
subsequent vehicle start-ups as long as the mal­
function exists .
When the malfunct ion indicator is illuminated,
the system may not be able to detect or signal
low tire pressure as intended. TPMS malfunctions
may occur for a variety of reasons, including the
installation of replacement or alternate tires or
wheels on the vehicle that prevent the TPMS
from functioning properly. Always check the
TPMS malfunction telltale after replacing one or more tires or wheels on your vehicle to ensure
that the replacement or alternate tires and
wheels allow the TPMS to continue to function
properly.
230
Tire pressure monitoring system
Applies to: vehicles with Tire Pressure Monitoring System in­
dicator
The tire pressure indicator in the instrument
cluster informs you if the tire pressure is too low
or if there is a system malfunction.
Fig. 194 Instrumen t cl uster : indicator l ig ht with me ssage
Using the ABS sensors, the tire pressure monitor­
ing system compares the tire tread circumfer­
ence and vibration characteristics of the individu­
al tires. If the pressure changes in one or more
tires, this is indicated in the instrument cluster
display with an indicator light
Rt] and a message.
If only one tire is affected, the location of that
tire will be indicated.
The tire pressures must be stored in the Infotain­
ment system again each time the pressures
change (switching between partial and full load
pressure) or after changing or replacing a tire on
your vehicle
¢ page 231. The tire pressure mon i­
toring system only monitors the tire pressure you have stored . Refer to the tire pressure label for
the recommended tire pressure for your vehicle
¢page 221, fig. 193.
Tire tread circumference and vibrat ion character­
istics can change and cause a tire pressure warn­
ing if :
- the tire pressure in one or more tires is too low.
- the tire has structural damage.
- the tire was replaced or the tire pressure was
changed and it was not stored¢
page 231 .
-the spare tire* is installed.
Indicator lights
RI]-Loss of pressure in at least one tire¢.&_ .
Check the tires and replace or repair if necessary . .,..